|känfə|denchəl adjective
Etymology: from confidence, after such pairs as English penitence: penitential
1. : communicated, conveyed, acted on, or practiced in confidence : known only to a limited few : not publicly disseminated : private , secret
chary of committing anything of a confidential nature to any more concrete medium than speech — William Faulkner
confidential remarks
2.
a. : showing confidence in another : disposed to relate or confide private or secret matters
growing still more confidential … said that I would soon be a most important personage among them — W.H.Hudson
b. : marked by or indicative of confiding or confidence : indicative of intimacy, mutual trust, or willingness to confide
he slipped his arm through his father's with a confidential pressure — Edith Wharton
c. : receiving confidences : treated with confidence : adjudged trustworthy
he had been his confidential servant and was intimate with all his habits — Anthony Trollope
3.
a. : secret , hidden , esoteric
b. : characterized by or relating to information unauthorized disclosure of which could be prejudicial to a country's interests — compare classified 2
Synonyms: see familiar